UPPSC exam row: Number of protesters in Prayagraj dwindles on Friday

Prayagraj: After the decision of Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission to conduct the PCS preliminary exam on a single day, the number of students agitating in front of the UPPSC office in Prayagraj decreased considerably on Friday.

A student, Shiv Kumar Maurya, said only hundreds of students have gathered in front of the commission since Friday morning whereas till Thursday, this number was more than 10,000.

Due to the decrease in the number of protesters, a road in front of the UPPSC office has been opened for the movement of people.

Agreeing to the demands of the aspirants after protests, the UPPSC on Thursday postponed the Review Officer (RO) and Assistant Review Officer (ARO) exams, and announced that it will hold the Provincial Civil Services (PCS) Preliminary Exam-2024 on the old pattern on a single day.

The Commission also announced that it will form a committee on RO and ARO exams to ensure its transparency and fairness.

While the announcement of conducting the PCS preliminary exam on a single day brought happiness for some candidates, those preparing for the RO and ARO exams appeared a bit disappointed. The protesters had said they will continue the agitation till a decision is taken on the RO and ARO exams.

Ganesh Dwivedi, a student preparing for PCS examination, said the government has taken a very good decision to conduct the PCS examination on one day, which has made the students preparing for the PCS examination very happy.

Mayank Jain said he hopes the government will soon take a decision on the RO and ARO examinations as well. The students are sitting on a dharna in this hope. If a decision is not taken on this during the agitation, then it will be put on hold, he added.

Deepak Singh said the decision to conduct the PCS examination on one day has been taken at the right time. It will secure the future of the students and they will feel assured in preparing for the examination.

Another student, Devendra Prajapati, said, "We have full faith in the Chief Minister (Yogi Adityanath). He will direct the Commission to take a decision on RO-ARO as well soon, so that the students preparing for this examination can prepare peacefully."